Workers clear trees on the site of the former Sons of Italy hall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Tuesday, May 13, 2014 to make way for a new assisted living complex by Brightview Senior Living, LLC/ The Shelter Group/Shelter Development. less

Workers clear trees on the site of the former Sons of Italy hall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Tuesday, May 13, 2014 to make way for a new assisted living complex by Brightview Senior Living, LLC/ The Shelter ... more

Workers clear trees on the site of the former Sons of Italy hall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Tuesday, May 13, 2014 to make way for a new assisted living complex by Brightview Senior Living, LLC/ The Shelter Group/Shelter Development. less

Workers clear trees on the site of the former Sons of Italy hall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Tuesday, May 13, 2014 to make way for a new assisted living complex by Brightview Senior Living, LLC/ The Shelter ... more

Workers clear trees on the site of the former Sons of Italy hall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Tuesday, May 13, 2014 to make way for a new assisted living complex by Brightview Senior Living, LLC/ The Shelter Group/Shelter Development. less

Workers clear trees on the site of the former Sons of Italy hall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Tuesday, May 13, 2014 to make way for a new assisted living complex by Brightview Senior Living, LLC/ The Shelter ... more

Workers clear trees on the site of the former Sons of Italy hall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Tuesday, May 13, 2014 to make way for a new assisted living complex by Brightview Senior Living, LLC/ The Shelter Group/Shelter Development. less

Workers clear trees on the site of the former Sons of Italy hall on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Tuesday, May 13, 2014 to make way for a new assisted living complex by Brightview Senior Living, LLC/ The Shelter ... more

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock is their 50th property. less

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock ... more

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock is their 50th property. less

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock ... more

Darcy Lapp-Rabinovitz tours one of the Harbor rooms at Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock in Shelton, Conn., Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock is their 50th property. less

Darcy Lapp-Rabinovitz tours one of the Harbor rooms at Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock in Shelton, Conn., Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New ... more

Marion Becker gives a tour of the Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock in Shelton, Conn., Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock is their 50th property. less

Marion Becker gives a tour of the Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock in Shelton, Conn., Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and ... more

A group tours the library at Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock in Shelton, Conn., Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock is their 50th property. less

A group tours the library at Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock in Shelton, Conn., Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split ... more

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock is their 50th property. less

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock ... more

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock is their 50th property. less

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock ... more

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock is their 50th property. less

Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock has completed construction and is ready to open in Shelton, Conn. Benchmark develops, owns and manages senior living communities in each New England state and Split Rock ... more

Mark Teague,top, and Hector Herrera, both of Danbury, secure a sign on a trailer to the entrance to Maplewood at Stony Hill in Bethel, Conn. This new developement is an independent living complex for people with memory challenges currently under construction, Wednesday, May 14, 2014. less

Mark Teague,top, and Hector Herrera, both of Danbury, secure a sign on a trailer to the entrance to Maplewood at Stony Hill in Bethel, Conn. This new developement is an independent living complex for people ... more

But many have a more pressing problem -- helping their parents find safe, convenient homes where they can feel comfortable as they perhaps face the challenges of aging.

Developers are building assisted-living complexes and related facilities throughout Fairfield County to meet these needs.

But the Greenwich market presents a challenging problem for developers dealing with a scarcity of suitable property and high land prices.

"In Greenwich, senior housing is not the highest and best use in terms of prices for real estate," said Gregory Smith, chairman and CEO of Westport-based Maplewood Senior Living, which has built and operates assisted-living complexes in Danbury, Darien, East Norwalk, Newtown and Orange, and is constructing a residence in Bethel for seniors with memory loss.

Growth industry

More than 72,000 people over age 65 in Connecticut have Alzheimer's, and in 10 years it will be 91,000, said Christy Kovel, spokeswoman for the Alzheimer's Association's Connecticut chapter.

"Seventy percent are cared for at home, but there's a growing need for facilities. We partner with facilities all over the state," she said.

Smith, a board member of the Alzheimer's Association's Connecticut chapter, said she sees the need for more assisted-living complexes as baby boomers approach the current ages of their parents.

"The average age in our communities is 85. The largest push won't happen in that age group until 2020 to 2030. We're in a great market," said Smith, who is searching for other locations in the county. "We're looking at locations on the Gold Coast that are high barriers-to-entry markets."

`Cultivating deals'

Smith said since appropriate property comes at a high price, his firm has learned to be patient and find unseen opportunities.

"We've got to find ways to be competitive in this market. It's (about) cultivating deals off-market," he said.

Another senior-living developer who has been looking for ways to enter the Greenwich market is Brightview Senior Living and its parent company, Shelter Development, based in Baltimore, Md.

"We've been looking at sites in Greenwich, Stamford, Wilton and Fairfield," said Jerry Effron, principal in Greyrock Cos., and Shelter Development's representative in the region.

Through his efforts, Shelter Development is starting a 90-unit assisted living complex in Norwalk scheduled for completion in mid-2015.

`B&B living'

"We'd love to find a place in Greenwich, but we have to find a site that's conducive," Effron said. Price is also a consideration, as well as what needs to be done to get things approved.

But that's not a concern for Larry Apple, vice president of the Greens at Greenwich, owned by TransCon Builders of Bedford Heights, Ohio. The 28-apartment assisted-living complex, which offers Alzheimer's care, was constructed on 4 1/2 acres on King Street in 2001 and is operated with Greenwich Woods, a skilled nursing facility.

"It's boutique bed-and-breakfast assisted living," said Apple, noting the company also owns the 107-apartment Greens at Cannondale, an assisted-living complex in Wilton. "Usually were more than 90 percent full. Most residents stay three years in these communities."

Most families who have loved ones at the Greens at Greenwich are from Greenwich and surrounding towns, Apple said.

Apple said his facility faces competition from New York which has complexes in White Plains and Armonk.

"But the greatest competition is home. The decision to move is a hard choice," he said, adding families often find it difficult to convince loved ones their lives should be easier and more fulfilling at an assisted-living complex.

The Mews, a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, continues to operate The Mews, an assisted-living community it built in 1970 on Bolling Place in downtown Greenwich.